In life, you get one chance at most things. You get one chance to choose to dance with the person who asked or not. You choose to study in school and pass, or redo or drop out. In most decisions, you get one chance to make the decision. Do I accept the job or not? Do I have children or should I pass? Do I get drunk and party hard or not? Do I lose my cool and throw a temper tantrum or work through it? There are endless possibilities.

The nice thing about being a writer myself, is that I can go back and edit. In fact, in school, kids are forced to go back, reread things, edit things, make sure it is what they want to hand it. Because once it's handed in, it's too late to edit and make revisions. In school, you have that one chance that Nancy Thayer is talking about. As a writer, however, you can edit until your heart's content! And even if you write something and it doesn't go over well, you can write something else to correct that mistake! That's the joy of being a writer.

But in human life, we are often given one chance. It's like that saying, When opportunity knocks, open the door and walk on through. I took that chance when I was 21. One of my good friends worked for a reputable department store. She knew I had just had surgery and her boyfriend, the 2nd top manager of the store, came with her to church. I met him and the 3 of us talked. He asked if I wanted a job! Astonished and shocked, I said I'd love one, but asked how he could know I was qualified. He said after talking with me he knew me and that he trusted his girlfriend...my friend's opinion because she had worked with him for many years. I started work within a week! I stayed a year until I went back to school.

What if I had said I don't no or I don't think so? I would not have gotten two raises in one year. I would not have the experience of the Customer Service Centre, the Case Shop where all the money is and where all the cheques are processed and so on. I would not have gotten to know all the managers and so on. I'm glad I took the job, even though it only lasted a year.

Another choice I was faced with was when I was extremely sick with epilepsy. I was having 5-20 seizures each day while on 4000-5000mg of anti-seizure medication daily. My neurologist sent me to see specialists. After waiting for 2 years, I went in for observation/treatment. I was the last person in the 4-bed unit and I was the first one scheduled for surgery. It was decision time. I was told the odds...98% chance of never having a seizure again without meds, and 2% chance of never having seizures again with meds. Despite the odds, I was terrified. I had to make a decision instantly. I signed the consent form and I had surgery. Was it successful? It is almost 19 years since I had a Right Temporal Lobectomy and I have not had one seizure and I am on no anti-seizure medication.

If I had said no to the operation, with no word of a lie, I'd likely be dead by now. Like the quote says, it's never too late to revise (or go back and redo it) IN FICTION.

We live in real life, real time. We can't stop our lives like when we take a break from reading a book where time stands still until we pick it back up again. We live in reality. We have one chance to make a decision. We may have several opportunities to make the same or similar decisions, but we still only get one chance per decision.

If you are going to make decisions, make them wisely.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never now how soon it will be too late. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everything comes too late for those who only wait. Elbert Hubbard

Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Benjamin Franklin

There are 5 things you cannot recover: The stone...after the throw! The word...after it is said! The occasion...after the loss! The time...after it's gone! The action...once it is done!

Don't take the chance that you will wish to revise your life. . STOP, THINK, BREATHE, LOOK, RESPOND . It's a 5 step process. STOP what y ou are doing. Think about what is going on and what the appropriate thing to say or do would be. BREATHE a few deep breaths to slow yourself down. LOOK around at the situation and decide if it is worth reacting or responding to. RESPND once you have calmed down or thought it through. It's through these steps you are more likely to make a better informed decision than if you just REACT. You can't turn back the time so take the time to make the best choice for you, your life, and your future.